


Animosity

by flipomatic



Series: AB (After Breakup) [2]
Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Obsidian Spoilers, Pre Canon, hurt/angst, post breakup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipomatic/pseuds/flipomatic
Summary: Princess Bubblegum didn't handle the breakup well.
Relationships: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline
Series: AB (After Breakup) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033209
Comments: 6
Kudos: 99





	Animosity

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to Spite, by Baxter54132. Make sure to read that one first, if you haven’t.

0 AB

As Princess Bubblegum fled the scene, the song echoed in her mind. The words ‘I’m so glad that I woke up’ rang over and over, bringing tears to her gum eyes. She didn’t look back until she had completely descended the mountain.

She only watched for a moment, watched as the glass people celebrated Marceline in the distance, before climbing in the candy van and driving away. She was sure Marceline could find her own way home. She didn’t know where Marceline would go, and she lied to herself that she didn’t care.

This brought a fresh wave of sadness, of tears. Tears that were only in the way of her seeing the ground ahead as she drove. Not that the first wave had faded, in fact it all compounded in what felt like an overwhelming tsunami.

Somehow though, through blurry eyes, Bubblegum was able to reach the Candy Kingdom. The citizens welcomed her back warmly, as they always did. She put on her usual smile, crooked from the strain, to greet them. It was her duty as their Princess.

Later that night though, once all of the activity had settled down, she couldn’t stop the cracks from showing.

It was a mistake to go into her lab.

This was where they’d been, just before they left for the Glass Kingdom. Bubblegum had been standing right behind the counter, jamming electrodes in a small fleshy mass. Marceline was floating by her side, practicing a song. They were there together.

They had kissed, perhaps for the last time, right in this spot. Right in this room.

There was no stopping her tears now, no duty she had to fulfill or path she had to see. There was only her broken relationship and the demolished pieces of her candy heart.

Bubblegum leaned against the counter, next to the mass of flesh that was still there. Tears dripped down her face and landed on the surface, the quiet plinking sound unnoticeable beneath her sobs. Her hands shaking, Bubblegum laid her arms on the counter and buried her face in them to muffle the sounds. She hoped nobody would walk by, that no one would hear this.

She still couldn’t believe that Marceline had just broken up with her, through a song of all things. Music had always brought them together, but not anymore. She had just been trying to help the glass people; how had things gone so wrong?

For a while, she just cried. Marceline had once told her that a good cry can be cathartic, but Bubblegum disagreed. Crying was messy and uncomposed. It was unproductive.

Bubblegum turned her head to look up from her arms. There were more things in this room that Marceline had touched, photos of them together that had been framed and hung. They were all together on one of the walls, all watching Bubblegum’s meltdown.

Well, there would be no more of that. She stood up straight and wiped her face. That didn’t remove the tear streaks, which embedded themselves in her cheeks due to her candy nature. Bubblegum grabbed a large cardboard box, one that she had received supplies in just a few days before, before everything fell apart.

The photographs were easy to remove from the wall. She dropped them in the box haphazardly, pushing them flat against the bottom. There was no point in removing the frames; she didn’t want them.

Then Bubblegum sealed the box shut, using some super strong glue she made in an experiment. This box wouldn’t be opening again.

She lifted the box and put it on top of a shelf, high up where it would be easy to ignore. She thought that would be fine, but when Bubblegum turned away from it she still felt uneasy. The photos were still there, Marceline was still there. Yes, she understood that was an irrational thought, but her feelings couldn’t be ignored.

It wasn’t good enough, so she took the box back down. There was only one place to get rid of it for good.

The castle was quiet at this hour and nobody would think twice about seeing the Princess carrying a box. She often brought things to and from the castle, there was nothing unusual about it.

Bubblegum told herself that as she worked her way outside, stopping at the gardening station to get a shovel. If she had the patience she would’ve created a potion to do the work for her, but a shovel was still better than using her bare hands.

She walked around the castle to the rear, where she’d built a garden. She used to spend evenings here with Marceline, just sitting among the flowers. This was the perfect place to store the photos.

Bubblegum chose a spot, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and then dug the shovel into the dirt. The ground was soft here, so it was easy to make a small hole.

Within a few minutes, she had a hole that her box would fit nicely into. She carefully placed it inside, and then turned the dirt back over it.

“Goodbye, Marcy.” Bubblegum muttered when she put that last shovelful of earth onto it. She patted it down so it would be flat, and made a mental note to get some grass seed to put on this spot. Once the grass was regrown, it would be impossible to find the photos.

Marceline’s spirit wouldn’t be able to watch her without them.

Bubblegum quietly returned the shovel to the gardening station before going back inside the castle. She returned to her lab; she couldn’t leave it as messy as it was.

The table, where she had been crying, was now gross and sticky. Bubblegum cleaned it carefully, as it was her responsibility to do. She tidied her other supplies, putting away the materials from the trip.

Afterwards Bubblegum went to her room; she was in desperate need of some rest.

There was something she’d forgotten, something that sent her emotions spiraling out of control once again.

The t-shirt, the one Marceline gave to her, was sitting out on her bed. She had worn it as pajamas the night before, to feel closer to Marceline.

Now, the sight of it turned her stomach. It reminded her of the song Marceline had performed that day, and every other performance before that. Bubblegum loved that shirt, she loved Marceline, but seeing it stabbed deep.

She picked it up, then glanced at the window. She considered it for only a moment, how satisfying the trajectory of the object would be, before folding the shirt up instead. No, this wasn’t something to be disposed of. No matter how she felt right now, Bubblegum knew she would regret it.

She lifted one of the floorboards in her room, that had space beneath it. The shirt was placed within, and then sealed in the darkness.

Throughout the night, she could only hear echoes of the breakup song ringing in her ears.

For the next few years, anything that reminded Bubblegum of Marceline ended up beneath that floorboard. This was mostly her cd’s along with various red things. Keeping them out of sight helped her cope.

When Bubblegum spent long hours working, she didn’t have to think about things that hurt. Though, it was impossible to forget Marceline’s claim that she wasn’t fit to rule her kingdom. She would prove her wrong.

Bubblegum focused on ruling her kingdom with excellence, both because she wanted to and out of spite. She tried to improve the lives of the candy citizens, working with science to help them. She strengthened the borders of the kingdom, improved diplomatic relations, and worked tirelessly for her people. She would show Marceline just how wrong she was.

Though she would never admit it, Bubblegum spent some time trying to create a candy companion for herself. She had made all of the candy people after all; what was the issue with one more creation? She asked herself that question, but never publicly discussed the matter.

Her creation could play the guitar and sing beautiful melodies. It followed her around like a lost puppy, offering to help with her other experiments. It did exactly what she made it to do. Bubblegum felt ashamed at having created it, and without a word remolded its candy into an independent citizen.

Over time, her sadness simmered down. Only anger and bitterness remained.

* * *

105 AB

Bubblegum had been excited for the bonfire. She always enjoyed seeing the other princesses, as they were her closest friends.

Seeing Marceline there, hovering above the crowd, had been a surprise. After all these years, she had forgotten what it felt like for her heart to race. The feeling was quickly followed by queasy anger, along with curiosity as to why Marceline had come here. She pretended she hadn’t seen her and hoped Marceline would do the same.

Of course, Marceline didn’t. When Bubblegum asked the question on her mind, Marceline said she wanted to talk. A hundred years ago Bubblegum would’ve wanted to talk. Now though, now she certainly didn’t. She lashed out, pushed Marceline away and stormed off.

After the bonfire ended, Bubblegum wondered if she’d been too harsh. It had been a very long time after all, what if Marceline had important information regarding the kingdom? What if she had wanted to apologize? Either way Bubblegum tried to put it behind her; there were more important things to worry about. Besides, she didn’t care about Marceline.

That didn’t stop a response from coming.

A few days after the campfire, Peppermint Butler brought an envelope in that had been left in front of the castle. He told Bubblegum it was addressed to her.

The envelope was heavy; it seemed to contain more than just paper. It had one word written on it, the name “Bonnie” scrawled in familiar handwriting. This was Marceline’s handwriting. Bubblegum ran one finger over the familiar letters.

Bubblegum should’ve thrown it away; she knew that. But it was Marceline; she couldn’t resist.

She opened the envelope carefully, making sure not to rip it. There were two objects inside: a piece of paper and a cd.

Bubblegum started with the paper. It was a small note, just folded in half and placed inside.

It read, “I remixed this song just for you – Marceline.” Bubblegum read it over twice, taking in the familiar scrawl. If they had still been dating, these words would’ve filled her with warmth. Now though, they only carried annoyance and dread.

The cd was next. It was in a clear plastic case, with both the case and the cd unmarked. In order to listen to it, Bubblegum would need a cd player. She had one, though she hadn’t used it in a very long time. She thanked Peppermint Butler for bringing it to her, and then retreated to her room.

Under the floorboard, on top of a pile of cds, was where she found her cd player. Luckily it only needed a change of batteries to work, so Bubblegum was able to put the cd in and listen to whatever Marceline had put on it.

She regretted it almost immediately. A familiar set of lyrics played out of the device, a song that had haunted Bubblegum for the last hundred years.

“I’m so glad that I woke up. I don’t really care about your stupid Candy Kingdom.” The backtrack was different, and at a new tempo, but the lyrics were the same. Even one hundred years later they still cut deep. It had been a long time since Bubblegum had felt so small.

Bubblegum still listened to the whole song, just in case there was something else at the end. Unfortunately there was only static. A wave of fury swept over her; how dare Marceline send her this?

She ripped up the note after the track ended, tearing it into smaller and smaller pieces. It all felt fresh again, fresh anger with Marceline for breaking up with her.

Rage at how she was still rubbing it in.

Bubblegum stormed through her castle, barging into the banana guard’s headquarters. She still had the cd player in her hand.

“I’m issuing an arrest warrant.” She practically hissed, grinding one heel against the floor. “For Vampire Queen Marceline. If she sets foot inside the Candy Kingdom, she is to be arrested at once.”

“Yes Ma’am.” The lead banana guard replied.

With that done, Bubblegum went to her lab. She removed the cd from the player and lit a candle.

She wondered if cd’s dripped when melted. Now it was time to find out.

* * *

150 AB

Marceline had been even more annoying since Bubblegum put out the warrant for her arrest. She seemed to take it as an invitation to visit the kingdom way more often, always causing trouble when she did.

She kept dumping dirt inside the castle and playing her bass loudly outside Bubblegum’s window at 3:00 am. Bubblegum wasn’t sure why she was doing this, probably just to be irritating. If that was her goal, Bubblegum was sad to admit it was working.

Bubblegum knew how to catch her though. All it took was a special net that was bat proof and thrown at just the right time. They locked her up in the jail, where she would serve her sentence. Bubblegum had gone to speak with her, despite her better judgement.

To say it went poorly would be an understatement. Bubblegum lied, an angry spiteful lie.

As Bubblegum watched Marceline fly away, she immediately regretted what she said. Yes, she was angry with Marceline, but it had been a hundred and fifty years now.

She shouldn’t lash out forever. She was supposed to be the mature one after all.

As the mature one, she needed to apologize. For the warrant, and for her words.

Of course, finding Marceline was easier said than done. Despite chasing her around the kingdom for the last fifty years, her guards had no idea where she lived.

Bubblegum knew where she used to live, but Marceline had always been a drifter. The odds that she still lived there were slim to none.

Still, Bubblegum needed to find her. She left Peppermint Butler in charge for a few days and set off to do just that.

She started with Marceline’s old home, a place that was full of memories. It was a small house located on a river, not too far from the Candy Kingdom. Bubblegum had spent more than a few nights there in the past. Happy memories that she had tried to forget.

Now, when she spotted the house in the distance, she could tell it had been abandoned. She peered in the windows just to make sure, and saw that all the furniture had been removed. No photos on the wall, no posters, nothing at all. Only a few spiders remained.

Bubblegum was disappointed, but undeterred. She would keep searching.

Her search would take longer than expected. It led her through multiple towns, asking if anyone had seen the vampire queen or someone who looked like her. Most hadn’t, until someone had. They sent her to a large tree that had been hollowed out. They spotted someone matching Marceline’s description flying in and out of the tree. Bubblegum thanked them profusely and went straight there.

Indeed, the building she found looked like a tree. It was a house carved into a tree, to be more precise. Bubblegum wondered how that had been done, if she could replicate it, but she didn’t have time to worry about it right now.

She hoped she was in the right place, but she wanted to make sure before she knocked. If it turned out this wasn’t where Marceline lived, that would be embarrassing. It Marceline actually was here, Bubblegum needed extra time to prepare. She still wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to say. Facing the building she felt frozen, like no words would be good enough.

In the end, she climbed up the side of the tree. It was easy to climb, with plenty of places to grab onto. She stopped at one of the windows and looked inside.

The home seemed to be well decorated, with plenty of furniture. It looked like a comfy home. As expected, Marceline was inside. Something Bubblegum hadn’t expected to see, however, was the presence of another individual.

On the couch, intertwined together, was Marceline and a grey skinned man Bubblegum didn’t know. They were exchanging kisses, stopping occasionally to talk in hushed voices. They smiled at each other, foreheads pressed close together.

If Bubblegum’s heart had ever healed, this would’ve been a reprising blow. Luckily, or unluckily, it was still bleeding after all these years.

Here Marceline was, even after what Bubblegum said to her, perfectly happy in the arms of another.

She didn’t need Bubblegum, didn’t need her apology, didn’t need her to like her music.

Bubblegum slowly climbed down, fighting the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry over Marceline, not again.

She walked back to her kingdom, where Peppermint Butler was very happy to have her back. Bubblegum wasn’t happy to be back though.

That night, she opened the floorboard in her room. Bubblegum moved the cds aside to find the old rock t-shirt at the bottom.

She lifted it carefully, and then gave it a sniff.

Clearly, she wasn’t as ready to move on as she thought. She started using the shirt as pajamas once again, like she had so many years ago.

And for a while, that was all she saw of Marceline. Bubblegum didn’t search for her again, tried not to think of her or worry about her or wonder how her relationship was going.

For the next three hundred and fifty years Bubblegum focused on her Candy Kingdom, on her science, and later on the human named Finn.

When Finn showed up beneath her window, with Marceline in tow, she felt long forgotten annoyance. Long forgotten affection.

Suddenly, Marceline was back in her life.


End file.
